And so instead of a grand celebration of two decades as commissioner of the most unique if not difficult of pro sports leagues to manage, we start instead with a bathroom story.

Brian Burke went to work for Gary Bettman in the old league offices in Manhattan in the fall of 1993, a few months after Bettman took office as commissioner.

One day Burke went into the bathroom and found Bettman picking up paper towels from the floor. Burke joked with his boss that there was actually someone whose job it was to look after that mess. Bettman whirled on Burke and asked him if he knew what time that person started work.

No. Burke did not know.

That person came in after 5 p.m., and so until that time, anyone who came into the league office to do business with the NHL was going to use this bathroom and he was going to find it clean, Bettman explained.